Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 22 The Tiger Spirit Enters the Village, and the Truth Comes to Light (Please continue reading!)

Late at night.

A terrifying figure, over ten feet tall, appeared silently in the woods behind Baishui Village, like a ghost.

Its fur was multicolored, it had a "king"-shaped forehead marking, and its dark golden eyes were filled with madness...

It was a magnificent, striped tiger!
The moment it appeared, all the sounds in the vicinity seemed to be paused.

The villagers' dogs were all huddled in their kennels, trembling, not daring to make a sound.

Rats and cockroaches have all disappeared.

Even the most rampant flies at night have disappeared.

The entire village of Baishui fell into a deathly silence.

The might of the Beast King is terrifying!
It slowly emerged from the forest, raised its head at the village entrance, sniffed, and then moved on silently.

The tiger, weighing thousands of pounds, walked on the muddy road without leaving even a single claw mark.

Before long, they stopped in front of an earthen house, which was Zhao Lei's home.

Its massive body, as large as a small mountain, leaped lightly into the courtyard without making a sound.

It sniffed around the yard, its eyes filled with deep, ingrained hatred.

Its blood-red maw gaped open, emitting a silent roar!

That's the smell!

The scent lingered on the hunting tools near the tigress's carcass!

There's another one...

It jumped out and came to Liu Sheng's house.

As before, it silently scaled the courtyard wall, sniffed around inside the house, and its eyes were filled with a palpable hatred.

It's here!
It's a pity they got away!
In addition, there was a faint, very familiar scent over there…

But as a spirit, it will not forget—

That was its scent, the mark it left on the cub…

The giant tiger suddenly turned its head and looked at the Tong family compound at the entrance of the village.

A moment later, it stood in the shadows in front of the Tong family compound, its bloody mouth split open, revealing its sharp fangs.

"Uh~"

Just then, a figure tumbled down from the courtyard wall; it was none other than the drunken Wu Song, clutching a monk's knife, carrying a wine gourd, and muttering:
"What kind of strong liquor is this? It's so bland it's unbearable!"

The giant tiger poised to pounce, its long tail swishing silently, instantly creating a strange mist that was damp, cold, and chilling to the bone.

"choke!"

A clear, melodious whistling sound emanated from the saber, piercing through the strange mist and bringing it to an abrupt halt.

The tiger spirit stopped its attack, a look of fear appearing in its eyes.

Finally, it slowly receded, silently, as if blending into the night...

"Uh…"

Wu Song rolled over, his head resting on his dagger. He squinted at the departing giant tiger, then turned to look at the Tong family compound, muttering to himself:
"I'll take a thousand taels to save your life, then we're even..."

With that, he got up, dusted himself off, and left without looking back.

As he walked, he muttered to himself:
"This heartless apprentice, when faced with danger, ran away for his own life, leaving me only a tattered note!"
Such cunning will allow one to survive longer in the underworld; it's better than being foolish enough to be sold out without even realizing it…

His voice trailed off, but his pace quickened. In a few leaps, he had crossed the village and entered Black Wind Mountain.

"While he's hiding in the city, safe and sound, let's get that vermilion fruit. Judging by the time, it should be ripe by now."
-
The next day.

A bluebird with a blade-like tail flapped its wings and flew across the land to Baishui Village.

It circled the village a few times, then suddenly transformed into a streak of green light and fell into the woods behind the village.

"The note is gone. It seems Master came by."

It perched on a branch of a large tree, tilting its head to examine the hollow in front of it, its eyes revealing delight.

This sparrow was none other than Liu Sheng, who had come all the way from the county town!

After confirming that Wu Song knew he had gone to the city to avoid trouble, he immediately spread his wings and arrived at the Tong family compound.

at this time…

The Tong family is hosting a welcome banquet to entertain the two animal hunters from the city.

They came with Tong Hao to resolve the tiger threat.

During the meal, Master Tong, who had just received Cheng Er's report, paused for a moment before nodding to indicate that he understood.

That Master Wu left without saying goodbye, it was truly inexplicable.

But it's not a big deal.

After all, he was unwilling to deal with the tiger spirit, and there was little use in keeping him around.

In comparison, these two beast hunters are much more pleasing to the eye…

"Oh, Master left without saying goodbye?"

Outside the window, a bluebird hopped lightly on a branch, its eyes revealing an unusual glint. It was none other than Liu Sheng, who had quietly sneaked in to gather information.

No wonder the room was empty when I flew to Master's earlier; he had left last night...

By this time, the guests had already drunk several rounds of wine.

After a few cups of wine, the host and guests gradually warmed up, and the two hunters started talking about their experiences…

Master Tong was eager to flatter them, so they chatted happily about everything under the sun, from the most interesting anecdotes to the most trivial.

The atmosphere is very harmonious.

Before we knew it, the conversation had turned to the murder of Butler Cheng.

"Such a strange thing? Even the village's best hunting dog couldn't find it?"

The hunter who spoke was named Chen Ji, around thirty years old, with a face like a full moon.

His body was muscular, like a tumor hanging down, full of explosive power.

He put down his cup and looked at the other beast hunter beside him:

"Old Xu?"

Old Xu was around fifty years old, with a purplish-brown complexion, dressed in shorts, his muscles as tough as iron, and his breath was heavy.

This person was quite unassuming; he had been eating and drinking with his head down the whole time, but now he slowly wiped his mouth and looked up…

His eyes were long, narrow, and sharp, making a striking impression.

"Hey, is it him?"

On a branch outside the window, Liu Sheng flapped his wings, a look of realization in his eyes.

This man was none other than... the stall owner who had sold him the iron-scaled snake.

Unexpectedly, he was also a beast hunter!
"Are there any of the deceased's personal belongings?"

Old Xu rubbed the several leather bags at his waist, speaking slowly and deliberately.

Seeing that Master Tong nodded, Cheng Er hurriedly went out and returned a moment later with a pillow.

"Hehe, Old Xu keeps a treasure-hunting snake, a rare breed among snakes, with a sense of smell several times sharper than a dog's..."

Chen Ji, standing nearby, introduced the situation and concluded with a guarantee:
"As long as the murderer leaves any trace within a five-mile radius, this snake will surely find him."

Master Tong exchanged a glance with his son, then looked at Cheng Er.

Cheng Er understood immediately and went out to make arrangements.

At this moment, Old Xu had already untied the leather pouch at his waist and was whistling a low whistle.

Before long, a small yellow snake, about the thickness of a thumb, emerged from the bag, its tongue flicking out. Its nose was bright red.

Old Xu let it wrap around his left wrist, and with his other hand, he held a pillow close to it, his whistling rhythm suddenly changing to a rapid and short beat.

"hiss~"

The treasure-hunting snake flicked its tongue, crawled around the pillow, and suddenly jumped to the ground and swam outside.

"Follow!"

Old Xu's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed.

"Hehe, I knew it..."

Chen Ji glanced at the Tong family father and son, a smug look on his face, and immediately followed them out.

"Let's go, I want to see who exactly harbors ill intentions towards our Tong family!"

Master Tong grinned maliciously, pushed the table aside, and followed closely behind with Tong Hao.

Before long, the group followed the treasure-hunting snake to the woods behind the village.

In one place, they dug five feet into the ground and unearthed a satin eggplant bag.

"This is something my brother lost before he died!"

Cheng Er exclaimed in surprise. When he collected Cheng Da's remains earlier, he discovered that the eggplant bag was missing and had been unable to find it.

I never imagined they would be buried here, and so deep at that.

No wonder they couldn't find the best hunting dog in the village.

"hiss~"

At this moment, the treasure-hunting snake made another discovery. After jumping off the satin eggplant bag, it came to the place where Liu Sheng had previously practiced his skills.

After circling around a few times, it quickly swam away again, eventually leading everyone to…

Liu Sheng's family!
"This is it."

Seeing that the treasure-hunting snake was coiled up and motionless, Old Xu knew he had found the place. He went forward, picked it up, and coiled it around his wrist.

Chen Ji, looking smug, was about to boast when he saw the Tong family father and son's gloomy faces and immediately shut his mouth.

"Very well, very well! I've spent all my time hunting geese, only to have my eye pecked by one!"

The next moment, a piercing laugh rolled from Master Tong's throat, each syllable laced with boiling rage:

"You brat from the Liu family, how dare you bully me like this! I will fight you to the death!"

(End of this chapter)